3AM_(Matchbox_Twenty_song)

3AM (Matchbox Twenty song)

3AM (Matchbox Twenty song)

1997 single by Matchbox Twenty


"3AM" (stylized as "3 am" on the album and "3 AM" on the single) is the third single and the third track from American rock band Matchbox 20's debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996). Written by Rob Thomas, Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, and Brian Yale, the song was inspired by Thomas dealing with his mother's cancer as a teenager. The song was officially serviced to US modern rock radio in October 1997 and was given a commercial release outside North America the following month.

Quick Facts Single by Matchbox 20, from the album Yourself or Someone Like You ...

"3AM" topped the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart for two weeks and the US Billboard Adult Top 40 chart for 10 weeks; it was not eligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time due to not receiving a physical release in the United States. Outside North America, "3AM" reached number 31 in Australia and became a minor hit in Europe. A music video was also made for the song, directed by Gavin Bowden and filmed in Los Angeles.

Background and content

"3AM" was written by Rob Thomas, Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, and Brian Yale while performing together in the early 1990s band Tabitha's Secret. The song was first recorded by that band on its debut EP, Tabitha's Secret?. The lyrics are inspired by Thomas as an adolescent having to live with a mother fighting to survive cancer.[2] In 1997, after the other members of Tabitha's Secret left to form Matchbox 20, Goff and Stanley released other early recordings of the band, including "3 AM", on Don't Play with Matches.

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Gavin Bowden, was shot in Los Angeles.[3] It features the band sitting on sides of a street next to some telephone booths. A supermarket is also shown. The video switches between color video clips and black-and-white still images. During the introduction and the third verse of the song, Thomas walks in the middle of the street with some construction signs and lights. During the third verse, a Pontiac Trans Am with a bare-chested man and a woman inside stops in front of Thomas. The man gets out, revealing a catheter in his chest, receives three cigarettes from Thomas and then gets back in the Trans Am. Finally, during the last two choruses, the band is shown playing their instruments (presumably in the lobby of a hotel or office building) as rain can be seen falling from a large window behind them. The video ends with an image of Thomas standing next to the telephone booths.

Track listings

Australian and UK CD single[1][4]

  1. "3 AM" – 3:46
  2. "Push" (acoustic) – 4:19
  3. "Shame" – 3:35

UK 7-inch and cassette single; European CD single[5][6][7]

  1. "3 AM" – 3:46
  2. "Push" (acoustic) – 4:19

Charts

More information Chart (1997–1998), Peak position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

Release history

More information Region, Date ...

See also


References

  1. "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 40. October 4, 1997. p. 103. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  2. 3 AM (UK CD single liner notes). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1997. AT0034CD, 7567-95562-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 3 AM (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. AT 0034, 7567-87033-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. 3 AM (UK cassette single sleeve). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. AT0034C, 7567-95562-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. 3 AM (European CD single liner notes). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. 7567-98009-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 24. June 13, 1998. p. 23. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  7. "Major Market Airplay" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 29. July 18, 1998. p. 25. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  8. "Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 30.
  9. "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63, no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  10. "RPM's Top 50 Alternative Tracks of '98". RPM. Retrieved February 19, 2019 via Library and Archives Canada.
  11. "The Year in Music 1998: Hot 100 Singles Airplay". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-46. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  12. "The Year in Music 1998: Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-96. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  13. "The Year in Music 1998". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  14. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 45.
  15. "Best of '98: Most Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 35.
  16. "ARIA Jan 2024 Single Accreditations" (PDF). dropbox.com. ARIA. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  17. "Upcoming New Releases". Hits. Vol. 11, no. 563. October 3, 1997. p. 38.
  18. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 20, 1998. p. 25.

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